In the Alpha’s Arms

The First Shift Is The Worst Shift

The elevator was blocked by a row of angry looking men. Their suits were just as out of place as Maxim’s only they were wearing all black like they were at a funeral. Maybe they were just waiting for someone to die.

Lita flinched as Ace pulled them to a stop, “Shit we can’t go that way.” His head swiveled around the hallway, looking for an out.

The door they’d just come through burst open once more with Maxim and Erica stepping into the hall easily, eyes trained on Lita and Ace like mice in a cage. Lita felt anger return. She wanted to wipe that smug fucking look of accomplishment off of Erica’s face. Permanently. That scared her a bit because it wasn’t like her to be violent. To not only wish someone dead but to wish to be the one to do it, was foreign to her. Lita felt feverish, sweat soaking into her clothes, legs wobbling and unsteady. Her heart beat frantically against her ribs.

“Looks like someone’s only got a mouth when she’s around an audience, huh?” Erica smirked, moving towards Lita. It wasn’t fear. Lita didn’t know what the hell was happening to her but it wasn’t fear. The cramps in her stomach turned harder, forcing her to the ground in agony. It was like her insides were in a vice grip, twisting and pulling against the constraints of her body.

Ace’s hand was on her back, “Lita whatever it is, you need to fight through it. We have to go.” His whispered tone was icy, gritted and as she focused on his words she could hear the fear. The deep, penetrating fear. They were in real danger.

They all stilled at the sound of a bell from the crack in the heavy door, the announcer yelling about a winner. Her mind flashed back to the disgruntled security guard who growled at her to shut the door. Where were the security guards? Could she make it to the lobby to get help? There was definitely no way she would make it through Maxim and Erica to get back inside the arena. Not in this much pain.

“Move away from the door, little dove,” Maxim warned Erica as he stepped clear of it himself, “We’re about to have company.”

door burst open and Cole appeared, panting and wild eyed, but controlled as he read every body in the room. He moved swiftly across the hallway to Lita. Behind him, Brody, Mark, Andres and Alex were tense, following the path Cole blazed. They eyed the men at the elevator

meant her harm? The thought slipped away into a flurry of pain in her back and shooting agony in her gut. She was being torn apart from the inside and it took every ounce of self control she had not to

He hissed, feeling the hot skin and moved his hand to check her pulse. The sensation of his touch calmed the pain a little and

his eyes locked onto Maxim like

dramatic that one, making

beneath her hands. Ace and the others had formed a circle around her, protecting every angle. She eyed the emergency exit door. The stairs would be hard to endure in this much pain but she could push through. She could make

all. Maxim was dead serious about every word, “And

your fucking mouth. I’m not a child anymore,”

began to close the distance to the group, “Only I would be unlucky enough to have a dissenter for a son. Lord knows I’ve

door. Then there were two wolves. Then three. Then the room was filled with the sound of growls and claws on the concrete as the attacks spiraled out of control. Slivers of clothes floated about in

begun to bleed into the hallway trying to alert the guards and figure out where all the growling was coming from. Some had even shifted themselves

headbutting one of the two wolves attacking Mark. Her body froze. Cole told her not to run. He said a wolf’s instinct was to chase. Lita glanced at Cole, pinned under Maxim’s wolf as he tore into his chest without mercy. Cole’s scream filled her with

Shift Is

like lead as she moved. Nothing about her was graceful or stable but she kept herself moving. Any second she’d expected to hear bangs or claws behind her but none came. Her body reared against her, muscles clamping down against the forward motion that she desperately needed.